Solar panel installation jumps 600 percent in Clovis

Clovis resident Kathi Claborn looks at the display on her meter. It showed that, at the time, her house was not using any Pacific Gas & Electric energy, but only energy generated by the solar panels on her home.

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Unlike most homeowners and bill payers, Kathi Claborn loves watching the energy meter outside her Clovis home.

On a recent afternoon, the meter didn't budge even though the heater, two computers and a television were on. Twenty-four solar panels were completely powering her 3,800-square-foot house.

Claborn is one of many Clovis residents who have chosen to go solar in the past decade. Permits issued for solar systems hit record levels in 2007, according to a January report to the Clovis City Council.

In 2007, 109 Clovis households installed solar panels on their roofs -- six times more than the previous year.

In 2006, 16 solar systems were installed.

"People are starting to look at alternatives as gas prices go up and electrical costs go up," said Paul Hodges, a building inspector for the city of Clovis.

REC Solar, Inc., a solar panel company based out of San Luis Obispo, hired two salespeople in 2007 to focus on Clovis because of the jump in sales in the area. Clovis residents install more solar systems than their neighbors in much-larger Fresno, according to REC Solar officials.

"Clovis is such a hot spot for solar," said Natalie Rozier, public relations coordinator for REC Solar. "People have outrageous energy bills, and Clovis is such a family oriented place. People want to have the satisfaction of knowing they're doing something good for the environment and the future of their children."

The Claborns installed solar panels in 2003 because of their high energy bills.

"They were just killing us," Kathi Claborn said.

The family purchased a $30,000 system with a low-interest loan and watched the bills drop from $500 a month to less than $200 a month. Government rebates and tax credits covered half of the cost, and the money saved through the lower bills went toward the loan.

"We're really, really close to the panels paying themselves off," Claborn said.

On sunny days, the energy meter goes backward because the panels create more energy than the household is using. Pacific Gas and Electric Company uses the excess energy and reduces the Claborns' monthly bill.

"There's nothing more exciting than seeing your energy meter going backward," Claborn said.

Businesses, which receive higher incentives for going solar, are also seeing the benefit of solar panels.

Target on Herndon and Willow avenues installed a large solar system on its roof in 2007. The regional headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Willow Avenue also went solar in 2007.

Business owner Mark McOmber installed 38 panels on his Clovis office last year. The electrical bill dropped from $200 a month to $10.

"We did everything we could to make this an energy efficient building," McOmber said.

McOmber expects the system to pay for itself -- along with state and federal rebates -- within five or six years.

David Lee, a math teacher at Buchanan High School, installed 22 panels on his Clovis home in November.

"We just knew we wanted to do something to help out the environment, and we knew we'd be here for the long haul," Lee said.

A state rebate and federal tax cut paid for about a third of the cost -- a much smaller incentive than when the Claborns installed their system five years ago.

Currently, state rebates pay up to 30 percent of the cost, and a $2,000 federal tax credit is available. Rebate amounts will continue to decrease by 7 percent per year between 2007 and 2017, according to the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission. Details: www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/index.html.